LA Times Crossword 8 Jun 20, Monday

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Constructed by: Kurt Krauss
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Short Term

Themed answers each comprise two words, both of which are TERMS that often follow the word “SHORT”:

  • 60A Temporary … and how both ends of the answers to starred clues might be described : SHORT-TERM
  • 17A *Plot of a movie, say : STORYLINE (giving “short story” & “shortline”)
  • 25A *Single-layer dessert : SHEET CAKE (giving “short-sheet” & “shortcake”)
  • 36A *Stock buying or selling directive with a specified price : STOP ORDER (giving “shortstop” & “short order”)
  • 50A *Nintendo income source : GAME SALES (giving “short game” & “short sales”)

Bill’s time: 5m 06s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Dada pioneer Jean : ARP

Jean Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. Arp was sent home …

Dadaism thrived during and just after WWI, and was an anti-war, anti-bourgeois and anti-art culture. The movement was launched in Zurich, Switzerland by a group of artists and writers who met to discuss art and put on performances in the Cabaret Voltaire. The same group frequently expressed disgust at the war that was raging across Europe.

9 Newborn horses : FOALS

There are lots of terms to describe horses of different ages and sexes, it seems:

  • Foal: horse of either sex that is less than one year old
  • Yearling: horse of either sex that is one to two years old
  • Filly: female horse under the age of four
  • Colt: male horse under the age of four
  • Gelding: castrated male horse of any age
  • Stallion: non-castrated male horse four years or older
  • Mare: female horse four years or older

15 Basic belief : TENET

A tenet is an article of faith, something that is held to be true. “Tenet” is Latin for “he holds”.

16 Boutros-Ghali’s U.N. successor Kofi __ : ANNAN

Kofi Annan was a diplomat from Ghana who served as General Secretary of the UN for ten years until the beginning of 2007. Annan was born into an aristocratic family, and had a twin sister named Efua Atta. Efua and Kofi shared the middle name “Atta”, which means “twin” in the Akan language of Ghana. Annan attended the MIT Sloan School of Management from 1971-72, and graduated with a Master of Science degree. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, winning jointly with the United Nations organization itself.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an Egyptian diplomat, and the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Boutros-Ghali was nominated for a second term as Secretary-General in 1996, but the US used its right of veto to block the appointment. According to senior delegates, the US wasn’t too happy with his handling of the international crisis in Bosnia.

17 *Plot of a movie, say : STORYLINE (giving “short story” & “shortline”)

A shortline railroad is a railroad that operates over a short distance. Examples of shortline railroads would be a line linking a mine to a smelting plant and a line focused on purely tourist traffic in a particular locale.

19 Sam of “Jurassic Park” : NEILL

Sam Neill is a very talented actor from New Zealand, although he spent the first few years of his life in Northern Ireland. I really enjoyed Neill in a 1983 television miniseries called “Reilly, Ace of Spies”, about a British spy operation during WWI. He is perhaps better-known for his roles in the movies “Omen III”, “Dead Calm”, “Jurassic Park” and “The Hunt for Red October”.

“Jurassic Park” is a 1990 novel by Michael Crichton that was adapted into a hugely successful movie by Steven Spielberg in 1993. One of the main premises of the novel is that dinosaur DNA could be harvested from mosquitoes trapped in amber (fossilized tree resin), the DNA coming from the dinosaur blood consumed by the mosquitoes. The dinosaur DNA is then sequenced and used to create clones of the original beasts. Apparently, that’s a clever idea, but not very practical …

20 Animated film mermaid : ARIEL

In the 1989 Disney animated film “The Little Mermaid”, the title character is given the name “Ariel”. In the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen that dates back to 1836, the Little Mermaid is given no name at all. There is a famous statue of the unnamed Little Mermaid sitting in Copenhagen Harbor, in Andersen’s homeland of Denmark.

23 Docs’ org. with a noted journal : AMA

The American Medical Association (AMA) has been publishing the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) since 1883.

24 Pennsylvanie, par exemple : ETAT

In French, one “état” (state) in the US is “Pennsylvanie” (Pennsylvania).

25 *Single-layer dessert : SHEET CAKE (giving “short-sheet” & “shortcake”)

I remember the first time I fell victim to the prank of “short-sheeting”, and very confusing it is too! The idea is to leave the bottom sheet as is, and tuck the top sheet under the mattress at the head of the bed, just as one would do with a bottom sheet. Then fold the foot of the top sheet back up to the head of the bed, and fold it as one would do normally for a top sheet. Don’t tell your Mom it was me who told you how to do it though …

28 Gridiron pitchout : LATERAL

Forward and lateral passes are thrown in several sports, including American and Canadian football.

We never used the word “gridiron” when I was growing up in Ireland (meaning a grill used for cooking food over an open fire). So, maybe I am excused for taking two decades living in the US to work out that a football field gridiron is so called because the layout of yard lines over the field looks like a gridiron used in cooking.

32 Kingston Trio hit with the lyric “Fight the fare increase!” : MTA

“M.T.A.” was a 1958 hit for the Kingston Trio. The song tells of a man called Charlie who is stuck on board an MTA subway car in Boston. His problem is that “exit fares” had been introduced on the system to supplement “entrance fares” (true story!), and the man didn’t have the extra nickel needed to get off the train. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MTBA) started issuing smart cards for use as tickets in 2006, calling them “Charlie Cards” in honor of “Charlie on the MTA”.

33 Supreme Norse god : ODIN

In Norse mythology, Odin was the chief of the gods. He is usually depicted as having one eye, reflecting the story of how he gave one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom.

36 *Stock buying or selling directive with a specified price : STOP ORDER (giving “shortstop” & “short order”)

A stop (also “stop-loss”) order is an order to buy or sell a stock once it reaches a specific price. When that stop price is reached, the stop order becomes a market order and the sale or purchase is made.

39 Bingo-like game : BEANO

The game called Beano is a precursor to Bingo. Beano was so called as dried beans were used to cover the called numbers on a card.

46 Glue brand : ELMER’S

Elsie the Cow is the mascot of the Borden Company. Elsie first appeared at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, introduced to symbolize the perfect dairy product. She is so famous and respected that she has been awarded the degrees of Doctor of Bovinity, Doctor of Human Kindness and Doctor of Ecownomics. Elsie was also given a husband named Elmer the Bull. Elmer eventually moved over to the chemical division of Borden where he gave his name to Elmer’s Glue.

48 London’s theatre district : WEST END

The West End of London is a part of the central area of the city that contains many tourist attractions and in particular a large number of theaters. The West End of London is also home to the most expensive office space in the world.

50 *Nintendo income source : GAME SALES (giving “short game” & “short sales”)

Nintendo is a Japanese company, and one of the largest manufacturers of video games in the world. Nintendo was founded way back in 1889 and originally made hanafuda cards, Japanese playing cards. The name “Nintendo” translates as “leave luck to heaven”.

54 Pince-__ glasses : NEZ

Pince-nez are eyeglasses clipped to the bridge of the nose. “Pince-nez” is French, and translates as “pinch the nose”.

55 Gangster’s gun : GAT

“Gat” is a slang term for a gun that is derived from “Gatling gun”, the precursor to the modern machine gun. The Gatling gun was invented by Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861. Apparently he was inspired to invent it so that one man could do as much damage as a hundred, thereby reducing the size of armies and diminishing the suffering caused by war. Go figure …

58 Playful swimmer : OTTER

Sea otters actually hold hands while sleeping on their backs so that they don’t drift apart. When sea otter pups are too small to lock hands, they clamber up onto their mother’s belly and nap there.

63 Half-and-half half : CREAM

Half and half is a dairy product consisting of half milk and half light cream.

65 “The Matrix” hero : NEO

Neo is the character played by Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix” series of films.

The 1999 movie sensation “The Matrix” was meant to be set in a nondescript urban environment. It was actually shot in Australia, as one of the co-producers of the film was the Australian company, Village Roadshow Pictures. You can pick up all sorts of clues about the location when watching the film, including a view of Sydney Harbour Bridge in a background shot. Also, traffic drives along on the left and there are signs for the “lift” instead of an “elevator”.

68 ’80s missile prog. : SDI

One of the positive outcomes of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), aka “Star Wars”, was a change in US defense strategy. The new approach was to use missiles to destroy incoming hostile weapons, rather than using missiles to destroy the nation attacking the country. The former doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction went by the apt acronym of MAD …

Down

1 Stomach muscles, briefly : ABS

The abdominal muscles (abs) are more correctly referred to as the rectus abdominis muscles. They might be referred to as a “six-pack”, or even a “ten-pack”, in a person who has developed the muscles and who has low body fat. In my case, more like a keg …

3 Like a fair share : PRO RATA

“Pro rata” is a Latin phrase meaning “in proportion”.

4 Eye affliction : STYE

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

5 Satan’s realm : HELL

Satan is the bringer of evil and temptation in the Abrahamic religions. The name “Satan” is Hebrew for “adversary”.

7 First extra inning : TENTH

That would be baseball.

8 Cubic meter : STERE

The stere is a metric measure, although it is not part of the modern metric system. Nowadays the stere is used as a measure for firewood, and is equal to one cubic meter.

12 Calif. NBAer : LA LAKER

The Los Angeles Lakers basketball team started out in 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The team chose the Lakers name in honor of the nickname of Minnesota, “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. The Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960.

13 NBC’s “Weekend Update” show : SNL

“Weekend Update” is the longest-running of any recurring sketch on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). In fact, the segment made its debut on the very first show, back in 1975. The first “anchor” at the “Weekend Update” was Chevy Chase.

18 Confirmation, e.g. : RITE

In some Christian traditions, Confirmation is a rite of initiation.

22 Japanese money : YEN

The Korean won, Chinese yuan, and Japanese yen (all of which are Asian currencies) take their names from the Chinese written character that represents “round shape”.

25 “Freudian” oops : SLIP

A Freudian slip is an error that is interpreted as being due to an unconscious wish for the same outcome. Named for psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, the “slip” is also called a parapraxis.

26 Flap-doored homes : TEPEES

A tepee (also written as “tipi” and “teepee”) is a cone-shaped tent traditionally made from animal hides that is used by the Great Plains Native Americans. A wigwam is a completely different structure and is often a misnomer for a tepee. A wigwam is a domed structure built by Native Americans in the West and Southwest, intended to be a more permanent dwelling. The wigwam can also be covered with hides but more often was covered with grass, reeds, brush or cloth.

27 Masthead list, briefly : EDS

The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper’s editorial board.

29 Helicopter parts : ROTORS

Our term “helicopter” was absorbed from the French word “hélicoptère” that was coined by Gustave Ponton d’Amécourt in 1861. d’Amécourt envisioned aircraft that could fly vertically using rotating wings that “screwed” into the air. He combined the Greek terms “helix” meaning “spiral, whirl” and “pteron” meaning “wing” to give us “helicopter”.

38 Dr. of rap : DRE

“Dr. Dre” is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

40 Hyundai sedan : ELANTRA

The Elantra is a compact car made by Hyundai of South Korea. There was a long-standing dispute between Hyundai and manufacturers Lotus and Mitsubishi. Lotus contended that the Elantra’s name was too close to the Lotus Elan, and Mitsubishi didn’t like the similarity to the Mitsubishi Elante.

41 Electrical measuring device : AMMETER

An ammeter measures electrical current. The term “ammeter” comes from “ampere meter”).

45 NFL six-pointers : TDS

Touchdown (TD)

52 Six-decade actress Barrymore : ETHEL

Ethel Barrymore was one of the famous Barrymore family of actors. Ethel was the sister of John and Lionel Barrymore. Ethel was a close friend of Winston Churchill, and some even say that Winston proposed marriage to her.

56 Writer Harte : BRET

Bret Harte was a storyteller noted for his tales of the American West, even though he himself was from back East, born in Albany, New York. One work attributed to him is “Ah Sin”, a disastrously unsuccessful play written by Bret Harte and Mark Twain. The two writers didn’t get on at all well during the writing process, and when the play was produced for the stage it was very poorly received. Nevertheless, Twain suggested a further collaboration with Harte, and Harte downright refused!

58 Fall mo. : OCT

October is the tenth month in our calendar but was the eighth month in the old Roman calendar, hence the prefix “octo-”. Back then there were only ten months in the year. “Ianuarius” (January) and “Februarius” were then added as the eleventh and twelfth months of the year. Soon after, the year was reset and January and February became the first and second months.

62 Miss Piggy catchword : MOI?

The Muppet named Miss Piggy has a pretentious air, and so refers to herself as “moi”. In 1998, Miss Piggy even released her own perfume called “Moi”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Dada pioneer Jean : ARP
4 Closes : SHUTS
9 Newborn horses : FOALS
14 Keep out of, with “from” : BAR …
15 Basic belief : TENET
16 Boutros-Ghali’s U.N. successor Kofi __ : ANNAN
17 *Plot of a movie, say : STORYLINE (giving “short story” & “shortline”)
19 Sam of “Jurassic Park” : NEILL
20 Animated film mermaid : ARIEL
21 Give it a shot : TRY
23 Docs’ org. with a noted journal : AMA
24 Pennsylvanie, par exemple : ETAT
25 *Single-layer dessert : SHEET CAKE (giving “short-sheet” & “shortcake”)
28 Gridiron pitchout : LATERAL
31 Caught, as a butterfly : NETTED
32 Kingston Trio hit with the lyric “Fight the fare increase!” : MTA
33 Supreme Norse god : ODIN
35 Equals on a jury : PEERS
36 *Stock buying or selling directive with a specified price : STOP ORDER (giving “shortstop” & “short order”)
39 Bingo-like game : BEANO
42 Dressed in : WORE
43 Freshly painted : WET
46 Glue brand : ELMER’S
48 London’s theatre district : WEST END
50 *Nintendo income source : GAME SALES (giving “short game” & “short sales”)
53 Feed bag bits : OATS
54 Pince-__ glasses : NEZ
55 Gangster’s gun : GAT
56 Penniless : BROKE
58 Playful swimmer : OTTER
60 Temporary … and how both ends of the answers to starred clues might be described : SHORT-TERM
63 Half-and-half half : CREAM
64 Giggle sound : TE-HEE
65 “The Matrix” hero : NEO
66 Fruity desserts : TARTS
67 Casino lineup : SLOTS
68 ’80s missile prog. : SDI

Down

1 Stomach muscles, briefly : ABS
2 Machine gun sound : RAT-A-TAT
3 Like a fair share : PRO RATA
4 Eye affliction : STYE
5 Satan’s realm : HELL
6 Prefix with cycle : UNI-
7 First extra inning : TENTH
8 Cubic meter : STERE
9 Devotee : FAN
10 Play sans intermission : ONE-ACTER
11 Bring to life : ANIMATE
12 Calif. NBAer : LA LAKER
13 NBC’s “Weekend Update” show : SNL
18 Confirmation, e.g. : RITE
22 Japanese money : YEN
24 Stately tree : ELM
25 “Freudian” oops : SLIP
26 Flap-doored homes : TEPEES
27 Masthead list, briefly : EDS
29 Helicopter parts : ROTORS
30 Big fuss : ADO
34 “This minute!” : NOW!
36 Pooh-pooh : SNEEZE AT
37 Lettered theater locations : ROWS
38 Dr. of rap : DRE
39 Plead with : BEG
40 Hyundai sedan : ELANTRA
41 Electrical measuring device : AMMETER
43 Loses strength : WEAKENS
44 Went in : ENTERED
45 NFL six-pointers : TDS
47 Droop : SAG
49 Friendly honk : TOOT
51 Endures : LASTS
52 Six-decade actress Barrymore : ETHEL
56 Writer Harte : BRET
57 Rd. map lines : RTES
58 Fall mo. : OCT
59 Real estate ad abbr. : RMS
61 “Caught you!” : OHO!
62 Miss Piggy catchword : MOI?

15 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 8 Jun 20, Monday”

  1. No errors.. Agree with Chris OHO or AHA? Its whatever gets through editing..,
    What is a SHORTLINE??

    Be safe

    1. Anon Mike, a shortline is railroad spur. Think Monopoly’s Shortline Railroad property.

  2. Monday, yet I had to Google – ETAT. Never studied French, just German, Italian and Dutch. Guessed all the sports answers plus BEANO and NEILL. Didn’t notice the theme.
    Had a haircut last week. Today I see the dentist!

  3. Boring puzzle. I’ve heard of one act plays….. but one acter??? Fill that grid!

    1. And, @Glenn, I posted a response you might be interested in on yesterday’s blog. (I fear we will wear out our welcome here 😜.)

      Time for a walk – if only the wind would die down. (Yesterday, I was out for a bit and found three-inch-thick branches torn from cottonwoods and several damaged fences.)

  4. If it’s an ampmeter why is it ammeter? I couldn’t believe “one acter” either.
    Didn’t know beano.

  5. For the record: the words “tepee”, “tehee”, “one-acter”, and “ammeter” are all in the dictionary. (I just looked them up.)

  6. Same comments that you guys above had, but solved it in a pretty short
    time for us. I was afraid that MTA was wrong; I know the Kingston Trio,
    even saw them in person in St. Louis years ago and knew that song. Did
    not remember that particular line and thought there might be a second
    song named MTE (for prorate going down). Not so and I am glad.

    Still want to discuss that golf issue with A Nonny Muss.

    Stay well, everybody.

  7. Sailed through until the very end at SE corner, not remembering Miss Piggy’s sign-off correctly putting down “MWA” (as in a kiss), rather than MOI (me), which caused errors with the other two I did not know. Oh well, can’t win ’em all.
    Regarding AMMETER: having been in engineering for decades, that is correct, even though it measures AMPS; haven’t a clue why the P got dropped.
    I checked out Greg Johnson’s website (alexashortbush.net), and discovered links to crossword construction programs. I have wondered how crosswords are made, and think I’ll give one a try. Anybody have experience with these things?

  8. 7 minutes, 1 second, no errors. Nice, eventless Monday (TE(E)PEES and AHAs excepted).

  9. Coincidentally, after doing the puzzle, I got in the car turned the radio on and there is the song playing…….MTA by the Kingston trio! Loved it.

  10. Hi folks!!🦆

    Sallee, that’s cool! I like it when things like that happen.

    No errors. I thought some of the answers were quite nice for a Monday, like ARP (altho we do see a lot of him) while other answers were pretty weak, as mentioned above. Just didn’t love ’em but an okay grid overall.

    Be safe~~🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸

Comments are closed.